Broken
by ChoCedric
Summary: Harry Potter is dead." Voldemort's high, cold voice echoed through the castle. How did Ginny Weasley feel in DH when she, and everyone else, thought that all hope had been lost, that the only one who could ever defeat Voldemort was gone?


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: I don't like the way Harry and Ginny's relationship was written in HBP or DH, because I wanted them to have deep, meaningful conversations rather than just snog, but Rowling can't cater to everyone. After all, Harry Potter was not a romance novel. But just pretend, for the sake of this story, that they did share a deep bond.

Please review!

Broken

By: ChoCedric

Ginny Weasley was bending over an injured girl outside the castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A huge battle had just taken place, a battle between those of good and those of evil. It was a battle that she knew had been coming for years and years, a battle which would decide the fate of the wizarding world.

Even as Ginny was whispering to the injured girl that everything would be all right, she was absolutely terrified. The love of her life, Harry Potter, was fighting in this battle, and she had not been able to share a moment with him for almost a year. She was so frightened for his survival, and she knew she'd be beyond repair if she lost him. In her mind, Harry was the only one for her; they'd shared a deep, emotional bond the year before, and she'd done nothing this year but hope and pray that he would come back to her in one piece, that they'd be able to spend the rest of their lives wrapped up in each other's arms.

After tenderly looking after the injured girl, she walked back into the castle, and she saw that Neville was walking beside her. She felt an overwhelming sadness as she saw the look of grim determination on his face. This war had changed them all so much. Ginny had seen so much death in the last little while, including the awfully still body of her beloved brother Fred. She was devastated by his death, but the look of raw pain on George's face shattered her heart. He looked as though he'd had half his soul torn out of his body.

"How are you, Ginny?" Neville asked softly as they approached the Great Hall. He was carrying another broken body in his arms. Who it belonged to, Ginny didn't know, for there were so many people fighting. But she felt another shiver of heartache go through her as she saw it.

"I'm tired of this, Neville," she answered honestly. "I just want this to be over."

"Me, too," Neville admitted. "I just saw Harry, you know. He told me something about killing Voldemort's snake, Nagini."

"I thought I sensed him too," Ginny said as she thought back to when she was crouching over the injured girl. "He didn't say anything to me, but I wonder why he told you about Voldemort's snake." A puzzled look came over her face; then it was overtaken by a look of horror. "You don't think he's giving himself up, do you?" she whispered. It was just the kind of thing stupid, noble Harry Potter would do, sacrifice himself so that no one else would get hurt. But couldn't Harry see that Voldemort was lying? Didn't he understand that if he died, all hope would be lost, and every ounce of Ginny's heart would break? Life wouldn't be worth living without Harry.

"I don't know," Neville replied, also looking worried. They entered the Great Hall, and Ginny went over to her family. Hermione had her face buried in Ron's robes, crying on his shoulder while he was stroking her hair. George was still kneeling by Fred's head, letting out bloodcurdling screams of grief. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were trying to comfort him as well as staunch the flow of their own tears.

Suddenly, Voldemort's high, cold voice echoed through the castle.

"Harry Potter is dead."

Cold. So very, very cold. Every bone in Ginny's body was freezing. There was no air left in her lungs. She could feel her heart racing against her ribcage. She'd never felt so cold and numb in her entire life. No. No. No no no no no. This couldn't be happening.

"He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone.

"The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children,

your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

The next feeling to grip Ginny's heart was complete and utter horror. All hope could not be lost. A year of praying could not be wasted. Voldemort had to be lying. Harry wouldn't have tried to run away. This was just a last-ditch attempt for him and the Death Eaters to win the war. But what was that about his body?

Ron and Hermione wore equal looks of terror, and they gripped Ginny's hands, also knowing how she felt. The three of them walked to the great doors of the castle, and waited.

It was the stricken "No!" of Professor McGonnagall that let Ginny know that all her prayers had been denied, and all her dreams had been shattered. There would be no warm arms to wake up to every morning, no soft kisses of good night, no loving hugs to greet her as the sun rose and set. There would be no "Honey, I'm home!" after his day at work, no marriage, no children, no nothing. There would be no more love in Ginny Weasley's life.

Then she saw it, saw it confirmed. Hagrid was wailing, sobbing, carrying the body of her lifeless love. She saw that bastard, Voldemort, smirking, languishing in the boy's death. She knew that Harry had died for them all; Voldemort must have lied about the fact that he tried to run away.

"NO!"

"NO!"

Ron's and Hermione's screams then registered in Ginny's ears, and then she found herself shrieking, "Harry! Harry!" not being able to control herself. The light side had lost the war. And Ginny Weasley had lost everything.

More survivors of the battle started hurling abuse at the Death Eaters, and she heard the cackling laughter of Bellatrix Lestrange as she looked at the light side's stricken faces. Ginny's eyes were transfixed on Harry's lifeless body, memories of the times they'd spent together running pell-mell through her head. Did he know, before he died, how much she loved him? did he love her too? What were his last thoughts? Had it been painful?

"SILENCE!" screamed Voldemort, and there was a bang, a flash of light, and then complete and utter quiet. Ginny wanted to run forward and murder Voldemort on the spot, pummel him for destroying her world, her hope, her sanity, the one thing she'd been clinging onto the entire year.

"It is over!" the Dark Lord roared. "Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!"

Hagrid, still weeping, lowered Harry onto the ground. "You see?" continued Voldemort. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

"He beat you!" Ron bellowed from next to Ginny. The Silencing Charm broke, and everyone was yelling again. Ginny found herself howling swear word after swear word at Voldemort, the worst swear words she'd ever said in her entire life. But once again, a bang shook the ground, and silence descended once more.

"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," said Voldemort with relish, and Ginny felt another swell of anger and hopelessness cascade over her. "killed while trying to save himself ..."

Suddenly, Neville broke away from the crowd, charging at the monster who called himself the Dark Lord. There was another bang, another flash of light, and a grunt of pain as Neville fell to the ground, disarmed. No! Ginny thought, gritting her teeth. She was not about to watch another friend die. This was too much, too much to bear, to take!

"And who is this?" Voldemort said softly. "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?" Bellatrix laughed raucously. She explained that it was Neville Longbottom.

Ginny felt helpless as she watched the confrontation between Neville and Voldemort. She felt pride break through as she saw how brave her friend was, even though he knew he was going to die. She watched in terror as the sorting hat was placed on his head, and then it was set aflame. There would be no more sorting at Hogwarts; Slytherin would be everyone's house now. Tears streamed down Ginny's face as her eyes landed again on the love of her life's motionless form. Why, Harry, why! she screamed inside. Why did you bloody give yourself up? It all came to nothing!

Suddenly, she heard an uproar, and saw people running frantically to the castle. War cries were bellowed into the night; tons more fighters for the light were streaking towards them. At the same time, Grawp and the centaurs also showed up.

And suddenly, faster than a spell could speed towards her, everything Ginny Weasley had felt in the last few minutes was completely reversed.

For as Neville somehow broke free of the body-bind curse and sliced off the head of Voldemort's snake, and the centaurs and Grawp came storming into the battle, she saw Harry's dead body disappear.

And that's when she knew.

Harry had put on the Invisibility Cloak.

The war was going to be won after all. And Ginny was going to fight to live.

For Harry Potter, her love, her hero...'

Was alive.

And she was no longer broken.


End file.
